A 2009 Ford Focus RS with just 45 miles on the clock to go under auction at the upcoming CCA Event in Birmingham.

• A ‘brand new’ 2009 Ford Focus RS, with just 45 miles on the clock, will be auctioned at Classic Car Auctions’ (CCA) next sale.
• The car has been kept in storage since new.
• The car joins a host of other highly collectible Fast Fords for sale at the two-day auction.

A 2009 Ford Focus RS, with just 45 miles on the clock, is ready to be sold at Classic Car Auctions’ (CCA) two-day auction at the Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show, taking place at the NEC, Birmingham.

The delivery mileage car is essentially brand new having been kept in storage for the last seven years. One family owned from new, the car has had just two registered keepers, a pair of husband and wife Ford fanatics.

The Performance Blue car has had one service, carried out in October 2016, and was MoT'd in 2015 and 2016 with the current MoT valid until October 2017. It is estimated at between £32,000 and £36,000 when it goes under the hammer next month.

“The MK2 Focus RS has all the makings of a future classic and indeed are proving popular at auction. Back in February our sister company Silverstone Auctions offered an Ultimate Green example with just 1,800 miles which sold for an amazing £41,063 including buyer’s premium,” comments Guy Lees-Milne, general manager and classic car specialist at CCA.

“With the launch of a new Focus RS to much fanfare and continued demand for all things Fast Ford we expect a similar amount of interest with this amazingly low mileage example,” added Guy.

At CCA’s biggest ever sale, there’s a huge selection of other Fast Fords on offer with everything from a Fiesta XR2 to Escort RS Turbos and Capris.

Highlights include a low mileage 1992 Ford Sierra Sapphire 4x4 Cosworth, estimated at between £20,000 and £25,000. The ex-Ford demonstrator example was restored by RS Classic Cars and Service last year, after being professionally stored from 2005 to 2016.

A 1983 Ford Escort 1600i in concours condition is estimated at between £18,000 and £22,000. Also restored by RS Classic Cars and Service in 2016, the car is totally standard and even includes the original radio. It comes with the original handbook and service book with nine stamps, plus full restoration invoices.

“Our biggest ever CCA auction is a perfect opportunity for Ford fans to purchase their dream classic and so I’d encourage potential buyers to come and visit us at the NEC”, concluded Guy.

JLR #2 - The SVO Business expands to increase staffing by an extra 250 people this year.

• Jaguar Land Rover is creating 250 jobs across its Special Operations division during 2016; an increase of nearly 25 per cent
• Special Operations is responsible for halo car products (Special Vehicle Operations), Vehicle Personalisation, classic car programmes by Jaguar Land Rover Classic and an exciting range of Branded Goods 
• Recruitment plan aligned to opening of new SVO Technical Centre and acquisition of new Jaguar Land Rover Classic headquarter facilities in UK

Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations today announces recruitment plans to support its ambitious growth strategy, with the creation of 250 new jobs this year.

Just two years after its creation in 2014, plans to increase the number of employees across Special Operations’ business areas is aligned to the £30m investment made in new headquarter facilities in the British Midlands for Special Vehicle Operations (£20m) and Jaguar Land Rover Classic (£7.5m).

John Edwards, Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations Managing Director, said: “Today we employ just over 1,000 designers, engineers and technicians across four divisions in Special Operations.

“The team is energetic, enthusiastic and entrepreneurial. They are the principal reason that we have made a strong start in business since 2014.

“Now we have new facilities, technologies, products and services in place to exceed the demands of our most discerning customers all over the world. I look forward to strengthening our team and delivering on this fantastic opportunity.”

Since June 2014, Special Vehicle Operations has successfully launched the Jaguar F-TYPE Project 7 and incredible new, 200mph-capble F-TYPE SVR, as well as the formidable Range Rover Sport SVR and luxurious Range Rover SVAutobiography. Sales of SVO products across both the Jaguar and Land Rover brands totalled more than 3,600 in the 2015/16 financial year.

John Edwards said: “Our business plans are driven by the desire for ‘halo’ vehicles and other exclusive products from customers in all corners of the globe. The vision for Special Vehicle Operations is to launch one new SVO car every year, on average, for at least the next four years.”

These new products will be crafted at the new £20m Special Vehicle Operations Technical Centre at Oxford Road in Coventry. The new centre will contain four new areas, with a Commissioning Suite and Viewing Suite where experts will guide customers through the design and creation of their new vehicles. These vehicles become reality in the newly-established Manufacturing Facility, Paint Facility and Technical Suite. These new facilities, and the people working there, will be responsible for building the cars that represent the very pinnacle of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, offering the ultimate in luxury, performance and capability.

Jaguar Land Rover Classic, which is responsible for the successful launches of continuation editions of the Jaguar Lightweight E-type and forthcoming XKSS, as well as the recent introduction of the Land Rover ‘Reborn’ restoration programme, will establish a new home in the British Midlands later this year, following acquisition of a new site near to the Special Vehicle Operations Technical Centre. The initial investment in this new facility totals £7.5m and the new site will house car sales, restorations, servicing and parts operations.

JLR #1 - SVO gets it's own manufacturing base to build, design & commission storming versions of existing cars.

• Brand new Technical Centre to undertake manufacturing, personalisation and commissioning programmes for Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations division
• New Technical Centre located near Coventry represents a £20m investment by Jaguar Land Rover
• Technical Centre comprises four zones: Manufacturing Facility, Paint Facility, Technical Suite and new VIP Commissioning and Viewing Suites 

Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) today officially opens its new Technical Centre in the heart of the British Midlands. The innovative new £20m facility near Coventry will be the headquarters of SVO and will house manufacturing, paint, technical and customer commissioning and presentation zones inside the 20,000m2 facility.

The new Technical Centre is significant representation of the growth of Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations – the specialist division of Jaguar Land Rover created in June 2014 to build a business responsible for halo car products (SVO), Vehicle Personalisation, classic car programmes by Jaguar Land Rover Classic and an exciting range of Branded Goods. 

John Edwards, Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations, said: “The new Special Vehicle Operations Technical Centre is a major step forward in meeting the desires of our most discerning customers. There are more than 200 skilled employees here that are committed to outstanding quality and craftsmanship in everything they do.

“The SVO Technical Centre is very modern facility, inspired by a Formula 1 engineering centre. It covers 20,000 square metres including a manufacturing area, one of the world’s most eco-friendly and advanced paint shops, custom-built commissioning suite, technical suite, presentation suite and offices.

“This new Technical Centre enables us to build on the successful launches of the Range Rover Sport SVR, Range Rover SVAutobiography and Jaguar F-TYPE SVR , and provide an excellent foundation for the growth of the SVO business with the introduction of exciting new Vehicle Personalisation programmes.”

The Vision: Vehicle Personalisation

In future, customers will be able to visit the Technical Centre’s Bespoke Commissioning Suite by invitation, where they will explore the infinite range of possibilities for creating and customising their own Jaguar or Land Rover vehicle. A member of the Jaguar or Land Rover Design team will be on hand to assist the customer in the commissioning process.

Greg Clark, Director of Vehicle Personalisation said: “Our brand new facility delivers industry leading quality, precision and choice. We will encourage customers to participate in the design of their own vehicles, to give a real sense of emotional connection to something that they have created; something unique.

“Our aim is to progressively grow our portfolio to cater to, and exceed, the desires of our most discerning customers.”

The exclusive experience will continue through to the food served to customers visiting the Technical Centre. Michelin-starred chef Graham Edwards, who learned his trade in London’s West End and has previously worked with Raymond Blanc, is on hand to create a selection of dishes designed to suit the client or and utilising the very best of the Midlands’ regional ingredients.

The SVO story will continue in the Technical Centre once the customer has left, as their car is painted and hand-finished in the other three areas of the building.

The quality and attention to detail throughout the Technical Centre has been inspired by the exacting standards of the top level of motorsport. The workshop features a series of highly advanced workstations and has been created to enable the final assembly of SVO vehicles, by hand, to the highest possible quality.

Do you want a BRAND NEW 1980 Talbot Lotus Sunbeam, well you can.....

Silverstone Auctions is offering the chance to own a ‘brand new’ hot hatch icon, a 1980 Talbot Lotus Sunbeam, in its auction at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show. The car is presented in immaculate, as new condition, has never been registered and has covered just 193 miles in its lifetime.

The left-hand drive, time warp car was discovered overlooked and ignored as part of a large private collection in Italy by the current vendor. Every single aspect of the car is factory standard and it appears like it has just rolled off the production line. It is estimated at between £24,000 and £28,000 and finished in the evocative colour scheme of Embassy Black with silver decals.

“It’s incredibly rare to discover a historic car that is ‘brand new’ but this is exactly what we have here. Sitting in this amazing example takes you right back to the late 70s and early 80s and the early days of the hot hatchback”, said Nick Whale, managing director, Silverstone Auctions.

The Talbot Sunbeam-Lotus was one of the most exciting hot hatchbacks to emerge from the 1970s. It originally came about because Chrysler commissioned Lotus to produce an effective entrant for international Group 4 rallying. Lotus took a Sunbeam 1.6GLS shell and installed a 2.2-litre version of the Lotus 16-valve four-cylinder engine and a five-speed ZF gearbox. It proved very effective in rallying, winning the challenging 1980 Lombard-RAC event. The road-going version proved quick and balanced, although it was priced higher than the comparable Chevette HS or Escort RS2000.

Having never been registered, the buyer of this vehicle will be the first registered keeper in its history. Supplied with all hand books, service books and a fresh UK MoT, this 1980s icon is an incredible find for any collector of modern-classics.

“This really is a time warp car, immaculately preserved. Nothing has been modified and this must surely be the only unregistered and lowest mileage Talbot Lotus Sunbeam in existence”, added Nick.

The vendor describes this vehicle as in "perfect running order” and will be supplied with a NOVA certificate for the new owner to register the car. The car will be auctioned on the 16^th of November at the NEC, Birmingham as part of Silverstone Auctions’ two-day sale the Classic Motor Show.

For more information please visit http://www.silverstoneauctions.com/talbot-sunbeam-lotus.

Jaguar to produce six brand new E-Types.

• Jaguar is to build six brand new ‘Lightweight’ E-types – the ‘missing’ six Lightweights that were never built from the intended 18-car series
• Jaguar’s first ever ‘re-creation’ project, the all-aluminium cars will be assigned the six remaining chassis numbers which were originally allocated in 1963
• All six vehicles will be built as perfect reproductions and to the exact specifications of the original 12 cars first produced in 1963
• The first new Lightweight E-type will make its public debut later this summer. Further information will be released at that point

Jaguar is to build six perfect reproductions of the original, race-bred Lightweight E-type that was created in 1963. The new cars are the ‘missing’ six vehicles from Jaguar’s Lightweight E-type project, which originally started in February 1963 with the objective of building 18 ‘Special GT E-type Cars’.

Only 12 of the aluminium bodied Lightweight E-types were eventually built, the last in 1964, the remaining six designated chassis numbers having lain dormant, until now.

The new cars will be hand-built in-house by Jaguar’s finest craftsmen. Each car will be constructed to the exact specifications of their original 1960s forebears – including the 3.8-litre straight-six engine.

The Lightweight carried approximately 114kg (250lb) less weight than a standard E-type, thanks to its all-aluminium body and engine block, a lack of interior trim and exterior chrome work and a host of further weight-saving features including lightweight, hand-operated side windows.

Jaguar expects a high demand for the six Lightweight E-types. Established Jaguar collectors, especially those with historic race car interests, will be prioritised amongst those potential customers who express interest.